This being a continued collection of scrolls of any questions the Scribes and visitors of Candlekeep wish to put to a master who needs no introduction, namely - Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms.

Ed's works include MANY FR sourcebooks and numerous novels, such as Cormyr: A Novel, Spellfire, Silverfall, The Shadows of the Avatar Trilogy and The Elminster Series, to name but a few.

Present your questions herein and check back to see what news may also come forth from the quill of this author.

For previous entries of the many, many writings of lore by Ed, please see the 2015 entries in this collection of scrolls, the 2014 entries here, the 2013 entries here, the 2012 entries here, the 2011 entries here, the 2010 entries here, the 2009 entries here the 2008 entries here, the 2007 entries here, the 2006 entries here, the 2005 entries here, and the 2004 entries here. 'ware, these run into over 80 pages, ye may be reading for some time. For a concise read of Ed's replies, visit the "So Saith Ed" page on the Candlekeep site.

Second question leads on from the first, when will we see some hellmaw and pony island sourcebooks so I can start expanding my obsessions.

Not Ed, but I can tell you that we're working on the game sourcebooks but they won't be out within the next few months. The first 3 novels for HELLMAW are currently out in ebook form, and we'll see at least one or two adventures in that setting before we get to the core campaign book.

George Happy New Year already. :-)For everyone else, and especially Ed & Jenny and THO, I hope 2016 is Happy, Healthy, full of Love & Merriment with friends around warm gaming tables. It has been good to see Lady Hooded posting again (and thus Ed too). I hope all is well and this is a sign of seeing more of you on these boards again -- easy now Wooley. :-)

Of course a post from me would not be complete with out a question (among my slowly growing pile) from my gaming session. We met just yesterday and played out a re-enactment of the famous Company of the Unicorn encounter outside the entrance. I plotted the sequence of battle beforehand, down to round-by-round spell sequences and initiative rolls, to fully detailed character NPC statistics and spell rosters. It was great fun watching the PC reactions run the full gamut of "we should help them, I think I'll charge in behind the mages" to "Let's remain hidden, the levitating mages are too powerful." Great fun for me as a DM on both accounts.

Later in the session they encountered the Hall of Statues and were very curious (in a "why is he giving us so much description of each of these" kind of way) and were very satisfied at their caution at the resolution of that encounter. Not to spoil it for those that don't know.

I guess since this is a questions scroll, I should ask one. So here goes:

First. Are there any more tidbits of lore, from gameplay or otherwise, that can be shared of the encounter with the Company of the Unicorn? I'm assuming it was a library session, but did the Knights (like my PC's) witness it from afar?

Secondly. I, like my players, was curious at the level of detail of the statues. Are they dedicated to lieutenants of Rivior's, or foes? What would Miior's reaction to them be? Does she know them? Etc... Were there any stories or anecdotes about how the Knights interacted with them, or upon hearing the legend?

Share what you may. I know it'll be realmsian gold.

Thank you again THO, and Ed by way of proxy, for your precious time you choose to share with all of us!!All the best for a great 2016.

I am about to DM Out of The Abyss for my friends, and one of them made a wizard diviner studying in Waterdeep. Thing is, we are building his history now, and we want to know how the return of Mystra should have impact his studies as a mage apprentice (the time before 1st level). He probably started learning before the return of the Weave and in the middle of his studies, like 5-6 years in, Mystra returned. What did he felt? What other wizards around him felt? did they just pulled all the old dusty spellbooks from before the Spellplague and continued as if nothing happened?

Also, many deities, returned to the world, some disappeared for very long time, like Myrkul. I don't know how to incorporate this in my game. I mean, Talos (who was Gruumsh for 100 years), is back, but what about his church? his worshipers? same goes for other deities who came back. I don't know, as a DM, how to describe this to the players, and how to incorporate the returning faiths in the world, are they rare? is it the same as before the Spellplague?

Thank you very much for your time,

Stealthwhisper

"I can teach you how to use your wrath. You can control the taint, direct it, summon it at will. You can become the Slayer at will and become the weapon of murder that you were meant to be! So think of me. Think of how I destroyed your precious Gorion, how I plundered the lives of your Candlekeep. Summon your rage, stir the depths of your black heart! Summon wrath. Summon wrath and become it, for if you cannot, then you are not worthy of Bhaal's blood. It should have been I. It should have been I! ATTACK ME, WORM, IF YOU DARE!!!"

"I can teach you how to use your wrath. You can control the taint, direct it, summon it at will. You can become the Slayer at will and become the weapon of murder that you were meant to be! So think of me. Think of how I destroyed your precious Gorion, how I plundered the lives of your Candlekeep. Summon your rage, stir the depths of your black heart! Summon wrath. Summon wrath and become it, for if you cannot, then you are not worthy of Bhaal's blood. It should have been I. It should have been I! ATTACK ME, WORM, IF YOU DARE!!!"

Hello again, all! Herewith, the first 2016 lore response from Ed, plus his thanks for the good wishes sent his way by Steven and Rivenhelm and Stealthwhisper, and back to you all!(To dazzerdal and others interested: The first 3 Hellmaw novels are out in e-book and audiobook form and print-on-demand form, and FINALLY about to appear in hc and trade pbk form (from ACD), and Hellmaws 4,5,and 6 are edited and on schedule to come out in Jan, Feb, and March respectively, Ed is currently hard at work on the first Pony Island Adventures novel (the big, sprawling fantasy setting that's most like the Realms, that's on schedule to debut in August 2016), and all of the settings are starting to roll: 13 by Ed, 1 by Nino & Will [[Folklore: The Affliction, which launches Dec 2016], and one by Steven Schend...don't worry, dazzlerdal, we have plans for sourcebooks, and Markustay has done GORGEOUS maps to update and greatly expand Ed's hand-drawn originals, but the sourcebooks will follow; the novels and short stories come first, to steep you in the look and feel of the world. I like to think of it as "another of Ed's worlds, that could be visited by Realms characters who travel the planes.")Also, Ed's next full-length Realms novel is done and scheduled to appear in hc in June 2016. Ed can't say much about it yet, but according to the terms of his multi-book contract, Elminster WILL appear in it.Right, bookkeeping taken care of, so now it's to the lore!And the first answer of 2016 is to Wooly Rupert, re. this:"[[Originally posted by The Hooded One: “rennard” is a fox]]Okay, I've got to ask how the hin got this word, since I recognize its similarity to certain real-world tales and legends."

Ed saith:

Why, from the same places fixes came from, of course: Earth. Which tells you the long, long ago world-hopping hin explorer/trader Altho Minstrelwish probably got the foxes he imported into the Realms from France (where "renard" is a fox). Yes, he brought the first foxes, hoping to get rich by harvesting their fur (brushes [[that's tails, folks]] especially) for hin fashion purposes. When relatively few hin, thanks to the er, sharp scent of foxes, proved interested in this, and even fewer liked roasted or stewed fox for the table, Altho let the foxes go, and they spread wild, largely displacing the native Faerunian lynx. (This'd be around 12 DR, for those keeping count.)

And there you have it; fresh Realmslore from Ed!Who promises to hand me missives for scribes here at the Keep as often as he can, in his frantically busy life (Steven knows just how busy; let's gloss over the daily details and merely observe that Ed is scheduled to write 6 new novels and over 20 short stories in 2016, among other things.)love to all,THO

...And my second posting of Realmslore replies from Ed. (Great questions, Rivenhelm; I know there are some NDAs Ed has to skate around re. replies to those, so a reply may take a few weeks or even longer to come.)This is to Stealwhisper, re. this: "Greetings great sages and happy new year!!!I am about to DM Out of The Abyss for my friends, and one of them made a wizard diviner studying in Waterdeep. Thing is, we are building his history now, and we want to know how the return of Mystra should have impact his studies as a mage apprentice (the time before 1st level). He probably started learning before the return of the Weave and in the middle of his studies, like 5-6 years in, Mystra returned. What did he felt? What other wizards around him felt? did they just pulled all the old dusty spellbooks from before the Spellplague and continued as if nothing happened?Also, many deities, returned to the world, some disappeared for very long time, like Myrkul. I don't know how to incorporate this in my game. I mean, Talos (who was Gruumsh for 100 years), is back, but what about his church? his worshipers? same goes for other deities who came back. I don't know, as a DM, how to describe this to the players, and how to incorporate the returning faiths in the world, are they rare? is it the same as before the Spellplague?Thank you very much for your time,Stealthwhisper"

And heeeere's Ed:In the Realms, cults and schisms, and "splinter groups" among clergy rise and fall and come and go, constantly. Think of our modern real-world Christian "flavors of the faith," where there are many "Reformed Church of" and "Church of the Witnesses of the Saints" and "Chapel of the Congregationalist Zionist" whatever; believers adjust their own rituals to engage with deities if they dislike or encounter difficulties with, the established on-the-scene clergy. Before the Time of Troubles and the Sundering, the established churches held a lot of social power and influence because their deities backed them strongly. For a short time during and post the ToT, and for about a century after the onset of the Spellplague, as the Sundering was SLOWLY (from a human POV) happening, things were fluid. SOME deity backed a lot of spells that were prayed for, and some clergies questioned and explorer alternatives and invented their own new rituals and prayers...and arcane spellcasters found new ways of crafting and casting spells that were "different" from "the Weave through Mystra," often (like we real-world modern folks do when driving cars that we sort-of understand the mechanics of, but couldn't fix personally) not fully understanding HOW things work, just doing what DOES work through experimentation, observation of others, and what we are taught.The returned Mystra will "back" their new spells AND old ones, gleaned from old spellbooks, so wizards would gain "new" (the old) ways of getting the same or nearly-the-same spell effects...and could continue on as before.Priests face the same fluid situation and personal decisions, and most of them will be guided by prayer (or rather, the divine responses to it). And as DM, you of course provide those responses. ;} Have at it!

Is there any printed lore about what exactly Ander from Elminster: The Making of a Mage was? Is Ander still alive (for a given value of alive)? Are there any regions of Toril where people would know how to replicate whatever he did to pass beyond death?

"The Annotated Elminster Collector's Edition" hardcover has more info on Ander. If I rember correctly, Thyndlamdrivvar was a floating city. As to the other questions Ed, or someone more knowledgeable, would be more of a help in answering.

Is there any printed lore about what exactly Ander from Elminster: The Making of a Mage was? Is Ander still alive (for a given value of alive)? Are there any regions of Toril where people would know how to replicate whatever he did to pass beyond death?

Ed posted this about Ander some time ago.

Mharrander Dorolkh is the full and proper name of this Netherese archwizard, who was born in -1546 DR in Tzindylspar, to a lowborn merchant family of Netheril who traveled tirelessly fetching mundane supplies and items for various arcanists. He was one of some forty children, and his father, Surrane Dorolk, eventually sold Mharrander (who’d exhibited a natural aptitude to ‘feel’ the presence and strength of magic) to an archwizard, one Kazindrol - - a cruel, bald, bearded arcanist who exulted in taking beast-shape and hunting, rending, and devouring other creatures. Kazindrol sought immortality through the ability to send his mind intact into beast body after beast body, possessing and controlling all he entered, and prided himself on being able to inhabit and command two bodies at once (he saw this not only as essential to avoid dying in a slain body, but as a demonstration of his superior force of intellect).

Kazindrol had need of many assistants, but slew or transformed those he saw as growing into threats to himself. Mharrander never achieved this status, being always too obedient, eagerly obliging, and paltry in training-at-Art, and so was on hand when six of Kazindrol’s apprentices all attacked their master at once. The spellbattle was swift, spectacular, and deadly, ending with the top of Kazindrol’s tower shattered and Kazindrol and four of his apprentices reduced to ashes, a fifth caught in a spell-cycle that kept him helplessly transforming into a bewilderingly rapid sequence of different creatures (all of them wounded and pinned under rubble), and a sixth triumphant but ravaged by pain, and lashing out at everything in sight - - including Mharrander, who slew this sixth, snatched all the magical tomes and portable items he could find, and fled (leaving the wounded fifth apprentice to be blamed for everything, when neighbouring arcanists arrived to plunder Kazindrol’s magic).

Mharrander took himself far from Netheril, into high mountain caverns, somewhere to the south, where dragons laired. There he studied, soon finding a magic that would allow him to snatch creatures from afar for food, and another that would preserve dead bodies in a stasis field. He soon ringed his caverns with dead, floating beholders (that had perished of natural causes, or been on the verge of doing so, ere his magics plucked them to his presence), to dissuade exploring visitors, and began years of study and mastery. From time to time, as the years passed and the world changed, he emerged to explore and test his magic. First he slew or tamed dragons, and then under cloaks of magical concealment observed what others were up to, concentrating most on fellow Netherese arcanists - - and in particular on those working on longevity magics.Only the human contacts of his explorations, and “feeling involved in unfolding life” through his spyings, kept Mharrander from going insane from sheer loneliness. He took to calling himself just “Ander,” and indulging in mimicry of those he spied upon.

He stole such secrets as he dared from archwizards pursuing longevity or immortality, and kept watch over their abodes and doings; whenever one of them perished, Ander swooped in to gather all he could of their magic and research. He sought his own route to immortality or at least longevity through seeking to master regeneration, and in tinkering with “the stuff of flesh” so that parts that did regenerate would not age, but return with the vigor of youth.For many of his organs and tissues, he achieved what he sought, but saw no way to destroy and regenerate his increasingly aging head and brain without dying. So he turned to wraithform magics, and his stasis fields, hoping to buy time until he could find a solution - - or someone else did, that he could seize or steal it from.Such tactics bought him centuries, but no solution offered itself. So at least, reluctantly, he turned to exploring lichdom and its magics, still using the “long sleeps” of stasis fields to buy more time.

Ander has more levels than Szass Tam and Khelben, but fewer than Larloch. Of the “comparison trio,” in a one-on-one combat (no legions of allies for his foe) Ander could most easily defeat Szass Tam. He could “take” Khelben if Khelben were ever cut off from the aid of other Chosen and Mystra and Azuth and Mystra’s other divine servants. Larloch would probably mop the floor with Ander, every time.

Ander has far less influence than any of the trio (not just due to his lack of public reputation, but he has almost no servitors, or neighbours who know enough of him to be scared into obedience by him). In short, he can persuade, order about, or control far fewer people than the other three. He is a low-profile loner, who prefers to keep to himself and pass unnoticed.Ander has less combat experience than any of the trio, and - - unlike all of them - - no modern (and therefore valid) experience with intrigues and negotiations.

Ander commands more powerful spells than all of the others except Larloch, and is no fool: he is a shrewd judge of others, and very alert (he will notice stealthy readying of weapons, magic items, and spells, shifts in position of groups of foes to give them all “clear fields of fire” against him, and so on). His relative lack of combat experience means he knows less about the unintended effects of hostile spells “running into each other” and unusual uses of spells in fighting situations; it does NOT mean he doesn’t know the nature and precise properties of his spells as thoroughly as it’s possible for a mortal to do, who can’t naturally “see” the Weave and practice working with its naked energies.

Although the Shadow Weave is new to him, his thinking (which is VERY fast) and habitual acute observation of all magic at work around him has already enabled him to understand how to respond to the Shadow Weave used against him.

A DM running Ander should use him as a vehicle for importing spells from non-WotC products, “tinkered-with” homebrew spells, and magical constructions that specialize in two things: deflecting spells cast at Ander onto another target (not necessarily back at the source), and invisibly carrying up to seven already-cast, “hanging” spells Ander has prepared, that he can unleash (up to four per round, although doing so is a full-round action, denying him normal spellcasting; if he casts a spell AND unleashes a “hanging” spell, that’s a full-round multiple attack on his part).

Ander is not a trickster, and is not aggressive; combat is something he resorts to reluctantly, not something he automatically initiates against any creature he doesn’t like the look or behaviour of.

Translocation magics are his specialty; he wears several self-crafted magic items that combine the magical effects of blink and mirror image, that he can cast spells (and unleash hanging spells) without penalty while using, because he’s so practiced in such fighting. He also makes much use of projected images (of himself), especially when meeting beings he’s suspicious of (in other words, those who try to clobber him may well be clobbering nothing, and merely warning him of their true intentions).

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus

Ouch, I expected him to be pretty capable but mostly I just thought of him as an archwizard with some largely forgotten tricks at his disposal. I did not expect that he could face off with Tam and have good odds or that he may have greater personal mastery of Art than Khelben. Thanks.

Thinking about Anders and various others we have seen. I have to wonder why there aren't more elven, drow, gnomes in these states. Or ancient dwarven runecasters or smiths etc. But, being demihumans maybe these races are more accidents in such cases than actual striving to achieve immortality? Drow excepted I'd imagine.

Happy New Year all! THO, I was just going through a scroll I made awhile back (last year) and noticed I had completely overlooked your response! Here is is:

quote:Originally posted by The Hooded One

Lukas, there are some untold lore tales of the Realms lurking in the changes to the Council. George has nicely outlined what the various published products say. I can add that a certain on-staff-at-the-time individual had plans to write some Realms fiction that would have incorporated some of the intrigue going on in Melvaunt. The fiction never got written. If I were you, I'd put the question to Ed in his thread, and see how much he can share.

I was wondering what, if anything, might be brought to light here. Or, I suppose, if it already has and I managed to miss it, where I might find it. Thanks for all the work and commitment! Oh, the topic was about the changes in the governing of Melvaunt, specifically the changes in numbers of Lords on the Council.

Are Hags in Faerun born in the manner described in DnD Ecology where they are human looking females until the transformation? If so are they ever for whatever reason able to have children prior to the transformation and would those children still be Hag-blooded?

MORE important to me is can Hags (My question applies to whichever type of Hags it can) have children themselves that appear for all purposes to be normal human children and do they at times KEEP these children for whatever reason, namely the sons? Does blood kin present a problem for hags from other hags in regards to blood-magic/rituals/connections being used against them?

Can hags be affected with cancerous type illnesses?

If any of this is possible I'm picturing a Hag who has several male children who grow to be adventurers that she has bonded to her in with them being unaware of the detrimental effects of these bindings but for all intent believe their mother is a normal human being and this revelation will bring about confrontation. Basically if what I'm asking is feasible would this Hag in your mind be more a "Witch/curse and fetish using type or more a Blood-Magus type or both?

Is there any printed lore about what exactly Ander from Elminster: The Making of a Mage was? Is Ander still alive (for a given value of alive)? Are there any regions of Toril where people would know how to replicate whatever he did to pass beyond death?

Good one - I guess other Masked fellows have mutual questions in their minds :)

Is there any printed lore about what exactly Ander from Elminster: The Making of a Mage was? Is Ander still alive (for a given value of alive)? Are there any regions of Toril where people would know how to replicate whatever he did to pass beyond death?

Ed posted this about Ander some time ago.

-- George Krashos

That's two I have to thank you for in one day Krash - THANKS!

I never came across this one (I try reading through all the old ask Eds but have never gotten through it all).

Ouch, I expected him to be pretty capable but mostly I just thought of him as an archwizard with some largely forgotten tricks at his disposal. I did not expect that he could face off with Tam and have good odds or that he may have greater personal mastery of Art than Khelben. Thanks.

Ed said "Ander commands more powerful spells than all of the others except Larloch"

For me this leads to 2 inescapable questions for Ed... what can you tell us of those spells (excluding the gender bender spell :P ) and what can you tell us of the more powerful ones Larloch has at his disposal.

I'd also like to re-ask/alter part of MaskedOne's original question. Are there other known WraithWizards of Netheril (or otherwise) and do you have any stats for them from the home game? Ander suggested that his method of attaining undeath was how it used to get done on a regular basis - his "In my day we did it thusly" line.

Happy belated New Year all, and thank you THO for the information about your encounters with Eldathyn in Ed's home Realms game.

Have a new question regarding Skaldic traditions in the Realms. Aside from the obvious (well, obvious to me, feel free to correct me) groups like the Northmen, Illuskans, Uthgardt and Icewind Dale barbarians, are there other cultures with similar 'Warrior-Poet' traditions?

Specifically thinking around Rashemen, the Nar, and possibly Damara/Vaasa.

Also, are there any existing examples of epic/Skaldic poetry that you have around?

I wanted to ad this to the thread because it's one of my favorite snippets from the original campaign setting. In the current clack news section it talks about the fabled gem hoard of Draughthothnor who was slain by the Five Wizards 260 years ago (as of 1357 DR). Being that this guy or as far I know the Five Wizards have never been expanded upon, I can't help but wonder if this is NDA-land, but here goes a few questions:

1. What kind of dragon was he?2. Location of his lair or the general area? It's rather curious his hoard was never found. Someone had to know about it or his fabled gem hoard wouldn't be a known thing.3. What kind of gems were so special about his hoard?4. Who were the Five Wizards? I'm assuming this group formed a "Great Hunt" like mentioned in the Klauth Wyrms of the North article? Was Elminster part of this group?5. Where did the battle take place where Draughthothnor was slain? Is he still "around", with death not necessarily being a permanent thing in the Realms?